Nevada crime grows but crime-solving also increases

Monday, Sept. 29, 2003 | 9:40 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Crime grew faster than the population in Nevada last year, a new state report showed.

But despite the fact that police agencies in Nevada are smaller than the national average, they were able to solve crimes at a rate higher than the national average.

The number of criminal offenses jumped by 9.1 percent in 2002 while the population grew by 4 percent to 5 percent, according to the Crime & Justice in Nevada report released Friday by the state Department of Public Safety.

Nevada has a ratio of 2.2 law enforcement officers per 1,000 population compared with the national ration of 2.4 officers per 1,000. But police and sheriff's deputies were able to clear or solve 24.5 percent of the crimes last year compared with the national average of 19.6 in 2001, the latest available, according to the report.

Of those arrested in the state, 84.4 percent were adults.

While the number of murders decreased slightly, other violent offenses such as rape, robbery and aggravated assault rose, according to the report.

A violent crime in Nevada occurs on the average of one every 37 minutes, 55 seconds, the report revealed.

There were 98,396 offenses reported last year, which equates to a rate of 44.6 for every 1,000 persons. It was the third-highest total in the last decade for the number of crimes, surpassed only by 1995 and 1997. The department said it does not include the more than 25 million annual tourists in its calculations. The 44.6 crime index number compares to 41.6 nationally in 2001, the report stated.

An offense is "cleared" when a law enforcement agency has identified an offender, there is enough evidence to charge the person and an arrest is made. The arrest of one person can clear several crimes or several people may be arrested in the process of clearing one crime, according to the report.

Of the statewide total 74 percent were committed in Clark County. Law enforcement was able to clear 24 percent of the crimes reported in Southern Nevada.

The state's crime rate was 44.60 per 1,000 residents, up from 42.37 in 2001. Violent crimes rose 12.4 percent and property crimes were up 8.2 percent from 2001, the report showed.

There were 184 murders in the state in 2002, two fewer than the year before. Law enforcement cleared 104 murders, or 56.5 percent.

Violent crimes, which include robbery, assault and rape, rose 12.4 percent in 2002. Property offenses, which include burglary, larceny, car theft and arson, were up 8.3 percent.

There were 515 assaults on police officers and sheriff's deputies, up 9.1 percent.